潜 伏

句子：这部电影描述了我党地下工作者如何潜伏在敌人内部获取机密情报。

误译：The film depicts how the underground workers from our Party concealed in the interior of the enemy to obtain secret information.

正译：The film depicts how the underground workers from our Party hid in the interior of the enemy to obtain secret information.

解释：to conceal 是及物动词，与“隐藏东西”、“隐瞒事实”或“掩饰情感”有关，但是不涉及“人的躲藏或潜藏”。to hide 与to conceal既可以当及物动词用，又可以当不及物动词用。还可表示“人的躲藏或潜藏”。

“潜伏”第一个意思是“潜藏”、“暗藏”或“隐藏”,可译为 to hide, to be latent, to lurk。例如：

1. 这艘核潜艇潜伏在海底，伺机出击。The nuclear submarine hid at the bottom of the sea, waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack.

2. 有些癌症能在人体内潜伏一段时间，而不需要立即治疗。Some cancers can be latent in the body for some time, without requiring immediate treatment.

3. 这只狮子一动不动地潜伏在高高的草丛中，耐心等待机会抓小鹿。The lion lurked in the tall grass of the meadow, waiting for a chance to catch the young deer.

4. 这位经济学家指出在如此虚假繁荣的背后潜伏着金融危机。The economist points out that a big financial crisis lurks behind such false prosperity.

“潜伏期”，英语可以译为incubation/latent period。例如：

5. 肺癌的潜伏期有多长？How long is the incubation/latent period of lung cancer?

“潜伏”的第二个意思是“受命潜藏执行秘密任务”。英语可以译为to lurk, to stay in hiding。如：

6. 解放前夕，一些国民党特工人员在这座城市潜伏下来。On the eve of liberation, some KMT secret agents stayed in hiding in this city.

7. 警方获悉几名恐怖分子正潜伏在这个小区的一所公寓里。Police learned that several terrorists were lurking in an apartment in this residential area. ▲

（本栏目供稿：王逢鑫教授）